Embargo Period

Keywords

Major Advisor

Co-Major Advisor

Rajeswari M. Kasi

Associate Advisor

Alfredo Angeles-Boza

Associate Advisor

Jie He

Associate Advisor

Fatma Selampinar

Field of Study

Chemistry

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Open Access

Open Access

Abstract

Three dimensional porous protein/enzyme materials such as hydrogels and sponges with larger surface area, tunable hydrophilicity and high permeability are highly desirable for improved electrocatalysis, filtration, adsorption, separation and biomedical applications. The use of enzymes as electrode materials in bioelectronics and biofuel cell (BFC) is mostly limited due to limited enzyme loading, lower percent enzyme electroactive and poor enzyme stability on electrode surface. The primary goal of this thesis will be to design a synthetic method to interlock enzymes on the electrode surface. This method helps overcome three major challenges: increasing the loading of enzyme on electrode surface, reducing leaching of enzyme and increasing the percent enzyme electroctive. The enzyme-polymer matrix and matrix modified electrodes were characterized and evaluated for stability, maximum current density and percent enzyme electroactive in present and absent of mediators. The covalent crosslinking of protein will be extended in the second part of the thesis to design and synthesis of protein based sponges. The proposed technique could serve as a new method to synthesize 3D porous protein based materials for biomedical, biocatalysis and environmental applications. Here in this thesis, the oil-in-water emulsion separation efficiency of BSA-Sponge was explored.